[mmloda]

Hello There
About a month ago I aquired a 2 year doberman from a friend.:dancing_b His name is Max and he seems to be a great dog except for his snapping at times. He doesn't seem to like people to come over to my house and at first he'll be all nice to them and go to them so that they can pet him but than out of the blue, he'll either growl and or snap at them by longeing and bumping them in the face with his snout. :emo11: I guess i'm a bit confused because he's never bit anyone but since i've brought him home he's been acting strange, like i described. :sadcry: Anyway if anyone has any knowledge on the Doberman and how i can maybe stop him from doing that, please let me know.

Thanks,
mmloda

 

[Kratty]

Wow, sorry to hear about this...anytime a doberman is snapping or trying to bite someone is a bad thing. Why did your friend turn over Max to you..was it because of other issues. Also he is trying to adjust to his new home which is probably contributing to this issue. I would talk to someone at a training school to see if they can address behavioral issues or go right to a dog behaviorist as soon as you can. A biting or unpredictable behavior is a red flag to me.

 

[mmloda]

Hey There Kratty
Max was turned over to us because they are moving out of the country, Max was brought up with two childen and two other dogs as well as a cat. The only thing is that when my friend had max, they kept him out side all the time and he slept in the shed, ever since we got him he's been in the house with us and he used at first sleep in our bed, but we decided to change that and now he has his own blanket and a couch in a seperate room that he can sleep in. My friend also told me that when he was a pup, the next door neighbours had two teenage boys who used to bug him all the time and poke in the face with a stick. My friends stopped that immediatly by putting up a wooden fence, that might actually also contribute to his behaviour. He has never bitten anyone but i just don't want that to ever happen. Oh and thank you for your response I will look into that asap.

 

[Kratty]

Its great that you are recognizing and want to correct it. Alot of things are going on which is probably contributing to this. Dobermans are people dogs and they want to be with you every moment of the day if possible. They are ceretainly not an outside dog, being left alone. Being with a family for 2 years and now with a new family is probably confusing him too, especially since you said he's been with you only for a month. A doberman will create a bond with their owners and family and you all become one big happy pack. So at this time I think this is confusing Max. A bond with a new family will not be overnight, but it will take time. Since he was an outside dog, I wonder how much socialization Max has had outside the first family. Dobermans need to be socialized with people and other animals outside their pack. This is very important thing to do. I would also suggest that you take him to some basic Obedience classes to help develope the bond between you/family and Max. Some facilities do offer classes that have specialty classes that can address behavioral issues. At the facility we go to, they are called Feisty Fidos classes....

 

[Sooz]

Could it be a playful, albeit misunderstood, attempt to get more attention from your guests? Dobies are notoriously nosey...mine has nearly given me a black eye three times...but the snapping (esp. at that age) is something of concern. Sounds like he's "talking" and trying to tell you (or your guests) something....like maybe, it's time for you to leave so I can have mom back all to myself...

 

[LapDog]

is he hand shy? Meaning that if he was abused before he is afraid and doesnt trust peoples hands. We adopted our lab mix knowing full well that he is scared to death of people. He use to just roll over and surrender to whatever scared him...just crouch to the floor etc...but now that he is comfortable with us and the house...he wants to protect what he has. His views and untrusting attitude toward humans still apply to strangers...so when someone comes in the house...if they dont just STOP and let him sniff them then he tends to snap. especially if they are moving there hands.

My question is...Do you think this could be a fear issue? How was his old home...and how did they treat him?

But now that I re-read your post...are you sure its a Bite? I agree that when Dobermans can Headbutt alot...sometimes if they are going in for a kiss this might look bad and headbutts hurt. I always tell people that mine underestimates the length of her nose.

 

[mmloda]

Hey Kratty
From what I understand Max was socialized alot with new people, children and he had three other animals that he lived with before. I honestly do not think that it is becasue he has not been sociolized enough as a pup and on. It might be that he is testing us because there has been alot of changes, I mean from being outside now to being indoors, I think he's also getting alot more attention right now, so he might just be testing and seeing how far he can go. But I still have to do something about his snapping and nose budding other people.

 

[mmloda]

Hey Sooz
It could be just a payful attempt for attention, I am not too sure just yet but I never thought of that, i'll keep it in mind tho. Thanks

 

[mmloda]

Hey Lapdog
I really don't think he's hand shy, Max's previous family treated him very well, they did not hit him or abuse him at all. I think they could have given him a bit more attention and kept him indoors more intead of outdoors. When the kids next door were tormenting him with the stick through the wire fence, his previous owner built a wooden fence so that it would stop. I do know tho that Max remembers what those kids used to do to him because his previous owners said that once Max grew bigger he used to jump up on their hot tub when the cover was on and peek over the wooden fence waiting for those teenage kids to get home and he would go nuts barking at them.
The whole headbudding thing, i would have never thought that it could stand for the doberman giving you kisses but i will keep that mind. Thanks